Never again
by Music-from-the-heart
Summary: Even though Max and her flock have defeated Itex, the school still isn't satisfied. For reasons yet unknown, they want Max and her flock, and they'll go to any means necessary to obtain them. FAXNESS!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer- I do not own the series Maximum Ride, nor any of its characters. They belong to the brilliant mind of James Patterson. I do, however, own the plot. So no stealing._

_This is a remake of an earlier fanfiction I wrote titled, 'Before it's too late.' Things happened, and I never finished it. It wasn't very good either, so I ended up deleting it. I couldn't completely drop the plot though, so I recreated it into a better, more action-packed, suspenseful, FAX filled story. So enjoy._

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Max's POV

Today was a nice day, with the sun shinning high in the sky. Almost too nice, since that stupid sun was pretty much roasting us to a crisp. The flock and I pumped our wings steadily through the humid air, trying to pace ourselves so we wouldn't die of heat stroke.

Jeez. If this heat kept up, we'd be red as tomatoes by the time we decided to make camp.

Sighing heavily, I pushed a lock of sweaty hair from my eyes. Most of the time the flock and I could stand the weather, no matter how hot or cold. We were built like that. But in the dead of winter and middle of summer was when we started to feel the wrath of Mother Nature. Take now for example.

We'd been flying since about seven this morning, and probably wouldn't stop to make camp for a few hours. Simply being outside in this heat would've been bad enough, but flying in it was roughly ten times worse.

Nudge was obviously thinking something along the same lines. She turned to look at me with a pitiful expression on her sun-burnt face.

"Max, I'm hot. I mean seriously, I don't think I've ever been this hot in my entire life. Not even that one time when you took us to the fair and I got that cute stuffed panda and Angel decided to pu-"

I held up a hand to silence her. "Relax Nudge, we're all hot. We'll stop for a break pretty soon and then quit for the night in a couple of hours."

Nudge looked as though she was going to argue with me for a minute, but thought better of it, and turned away. I sighed dejectedly, and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I really felt bad for the kids; this heat must've been horrible for them. Pretty soon, we'd stay in a hotel, I promised myself.

_Don't worry about us Max. We're ok. _Angel reassured me in my head. I looked at her and winced inwardly when I saw the dark circles under her eyes. I smiled weakly at my baby, and she grinned back. Swooping down, she gave me a quick peck on the cheek, and then flew upward to join Nudge.

As soon as she was far enough away, I sighed again. The whole flock was exhausted, myself included. It didn't take a genius to see that. We'd been on the same schedule for the last couple days. Rise early, fly all day, and then camp late.

Stupid erasers. It was all their fault. Their attacks had been getting more frequent and more violent recently, and by using my amazing deductive reasoning skills, I'd concluded that the school had some plans for us. And so, we'd been spending most of the week trying to put as much space between us and them as possible.

"What are you thinking about?" A voice asked. I jumped a bit at the unexpected intrusion, and turned left to see Fang flying beside me, a smug grin on his face.

I scowled at him. "Don't do that." I growled, exasperated.

"Do what?" Fang asked with mock innocence. I glared at him until he smirked back. "Fine." He promised grudgingly.

I rubbed my temples with my fingers, feeling a migraine coming on. Fang looked at me pointedly.

"Headache?" He asked me with mild concern.

"Yep. And I'm talking to it."

Fang rolled his eyes. "Very mature, Max." He said.

I grinned at him. "Nah, I'm fine." I lied. "Just a bit tired, is all."

Fang studied my face for a long moment, and I felt myself turning red. I looked away quickly before he could notice.

_You two like each other_. Angel teased me happily in my mind. I turned to glare at her, and she smiled innocently back.

I shook my head, attempting to clear it. "Ok guys, we're going to take a short break." I announced to the flock.

I heard sighs of relief and woops of joy. "Thank goodness." Total moaned dramatically, poking his head from Iggy's backpack. "My doggy bladder can't wait any longer!"

Tilting my wings downward, I swooped toward the forest floor and went into a relaxed dive. Slowing down slightly, my feet touched the ground and I landed weakly. My legs felt like rubber after being in the air for so long.

The flock touched down beside me, and quickly, we all shrugged off our backpacks. Total wandered into the woods to relieve himself while the rest of us slumped down on the forest floor.

Gazzy reached into his pack for a water bottle and took a long swig. Tossing it to Angel, she did the same.

Nudge closed her eyes and plopped backward onto the ground. "Ugh. I am so tired. Tired, and hot." She moaned.

Iggy nodded in agreement. "On the bright side, I've stopped burning." He announced with fake enthusiasm. "I'm peeling now." He said, holding out an arm.

Nudge looked at it in disgust. "Ewww! That's so gross Iggy!" She screeched loudly.

Total waddled back out of the woods and plopped down on Angels lap, panting softly. "So, are we going to stop for the night soon, or what?" He asked impatiently.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Pretty soon." I promised. "Just an hour or two more."

Total nodded at me, and then closed his eyes and lay his head down on his paws.

We rest for a few more minutes before I stood up. "Ok guys. Let's get moving." I said, cracking my neck and shrugging on my backpack.

"Hey, what's that?" The Gasman asked, pointing above the tree tops and into the glaring sky. I looked up in the direction he was pointing, squinting my eyes in the bright sunlight. There was some big, dark cloud slowly approaching us. I stared at it with confusion.

Nudge watched it too. "A rain cloud?" She asked hopefully. I shook my head slightly.

"I don't…….." Suddenly, I realized that the cloud wasn't a cloud at all. I swore softly under my breath, and all the flock turned to look at me in surprise.

"What is it Max?" Iggy asked worriedly. But Angel had already read my mind. Her blue eyes grew large and filled with silent horror.

"Erasers." She said softly. "Hundreds of them."

The flock turned to stare at Angel in shock. Everyone was quiet for a moment, until finally Gazzy broke the silence.

"Hundreds?" He said weakly. "We can't fight hundreds...can we Max?"

My mind was in a panic. Somehow, the school had still managed to track us despite our constant travel the last week. This was not good. There was no way we could win this fight…

Angel stared at me, her eyes wide with fear. _What are we going to do Max?_ She asked me in my mind. I shook my head, trying desperately to clear it.

"Max." Fang's voice broke me out of my trance. "They're here."

I looked up and saw he was right. The giant black cloud had transformed into individual erasers, each flying toward us rapidly.

Nudge stared at them blankly. "What do we do Max?" She murmured quietly.

In that moment, I made one of my notorious, split second decisions. "Ok guys. Here's the plan." I said quickly. "Angel and Nudge, you guys flank them from the right; Gazzy and Iggy from above. Fang and I'll take it from the left. Everyone be careful- U and A if there are any problems. Be careful, and don't do anything stupid."

The flock nodded grimly. This was nothing new to them. Quickly, Iggy scooped the now sleeping Total into his bag, and jumped into the air, unfurling his wings.

The rest of the flock followed his lead, taking off into the sky and flying toward the swarm of Erasers. Within seconds we reached them, and soon, were engaged in an all out fight.

I backhanded the eraser nearest to me across the cheek and kicked him in the chest, collapsing his lungs. He spiraled toward the ground, hitting it with sickening splat. With no time to savor the victory, I quickly rushed toward another and clapped my hands against his ears. Howling in pain, he too fell downwards.

"Everyone duck!" I heard Iggy yell, and I quickly pulled in my wings and dropped toward the forest below.

A giant "BOOM!" shook the air and about twenty unfortunate erasers who'd been caught in the blast went plummeting downward. "Nice one Iggy!" I heard Gazzy exclaimed with excitement.

Pumping my wings again, I rose and roundhouse kicked another eraser in the back. About five or so erasers suddenly came rushing past me, serene looks on their faces. Glancing up, I saw Angel hovering in the air, staring at them with a content look on her face.

Jeez. I loved that kid, but she scared me at times.

Fang was holding up against another three erasers, and I quickly rushed over to help him. I grabbed one by the neck, and gave it a firm twist until I heard the snap. Letting go, I allowed him to fall through the sky.

"Max! Behind you!" I heard Fang yell urgently. I spun around quickly, only to be greeted by a fist in the stomach.

I grunted and sunk a couple feet before I remembered to flap my wings. Jeez. Either I'd broken a couple ribs, or that was going to bruise pretty badly tomorrow.

With grim determination, Fang kicked the eraser in the head, knocking him unconscious. "You alright?" He asked me. I nodded and turned to see how the rest of the flock was doing.

"Fang, you go help Angel with that bunch over there," I commanded. Fang nodded, and turned to fly toward where Angel was surrounded by erasers.

Gazzy and Iggy seemed to be doing fine, and so I quickly backhanded another eraser near me before turning to observe Nudge. She was busy fighting with an eraser, throwing kick after kick at its bulky body. She didn't even notice when another eraser from behind pulled a gun from its side and pointed it at her head.

There was no time to think, only time to react. I gave the eraser I was fighting one last firm whack in the neck, and with a choking noise, he collapsed in the air and started hurdling down. Pumping my wings as hard as I could, I flew toward Nudge and pushed her out of the way just as the eraser pulled the guns trigger.

Almost instantly, I felt a searing burn in my right shoulder. Hissing in pain, I glanced at my arm and saw red blood pulsing steadily out of a bullet wound. Lovely. Now I had one useless arm and another hundred or so erasers to fight.

Before I had time to react, I felt something heavy hit the square of my back, knocking the breath out of me. Gasping, I whirled around and punched the same eraser who'd shot me in his ugly face with my good arm, and round housed kicked his chest. Letting out an "oof!" the eraser fell from the sky, hitting the ground below.

I glanced around quickly, and saw that all the flock was engaged in battle, each of them looking worn out. There was no way we'd be able to win this fight.

Gritting my teeth together, I shouted into the sky. "U and A guys! Hurry up!"

Knowing well enough not to question me, the flock shot up higher into the air, and together, we flew away from the erasers as fast as our wings could carry us.

The erasers may have been just as strong as us, but their bodies were so huge that their wings weren't made for flying very long. Within five minutes, we'd put at least a half mile or so in between us and the erasers. Still not slowing down, I called out "Report!" to the rest of the flock.

"I'm good." Gazzy said nonchalantly. "Kinda sore, but still fine."

"Same here," Iggy said with a smirk. "That last explosion was awesome Gazzy!" The Gasman smiled at Iggy, and the two of them high-fived each other.

Angel was sporting a pretty bad bloody nose, but she too insisted she was ok. Fang gave his normal grunt, which I took meant he was fine. Nudge, of course, went into her usual rant.

"Wow Max, that was so totally cool when you knocked me out of the way! I would've been dead if it hadn't been for you and then you completely kicked his butt out of the air and- Oh my god Max, you're bleeding!" She broke off, staring wide eyed at my bullet wound.

Crap. I'd forgotten all about that. Moving slightly to hide it from sight, I answered her. "It's fine Nudge. That eraser just managed to clip my shoulder with his gun, but it's not that deep." I lied through my teeth. I shrunk slightly under Fang's skeptical gaze, but managed to keep my face firm. "Honestly, I'm alright."

Fang began to open his mouth to protest when suddenly a voice popped into my head.

_Max._

I stopped in midair, hovering in the sky. Holding up a finger to Fang, he seemed to understand what was happening and instructed the others to stop.

_Long time no hear Jeb. _I thought back. _It's been almost three months, and we haven't heard from you at all.__ What the heck's going on?_

_Listen Max. I need you to turn around and go back to those erasers. You need to listen to what they say, and __obey__ them._

Wow. He sure got straight to the point.

_What the hell are you talking about Jeb? Why would we go with the erasers?__ And why are they after us again anyway? We defeated Itex, didn't we? So now leave us the hell alone!_

_There's no time for explanations Max._ Jeb replied calmly. _They'll catch you anyway- trust me. It's better for you and the flock if you turn around and go voluntarily. _

_No way Jeb._ I answered firmly. _There's no freaking way we're going to go with the same erasers who just tried to kill us__ back there. What are you, insane? _

_Then there's no other choice but to delay you. I truly am sorry about this Max__imum_

_Wait, what are you-_

I didn't get a chance to ask him what he meant, or get any of my questions answered for that matter, because in that same moment, my head exploded in pain and I went plummeting toward the forest below.

Wind rushed past me, whipping my limp body around like a rag doll, but I wasn't coherent enough to even attempt to stop myself from free falling. My skull was burning, being stabbed over and over again by thousands of invisible red hot knifes. I closed my eyes in agony, and let out a piecing scream.

Fang's POV

Max held up a hand, motioning for me to stop. I recognized that look on her face; as if she were having an epiphany or something. That look meant she was talking to Jeb, and in this case, that meant answers.

"Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, stop." I order firmly. They halted in midair, looking at me in surprise. I gestured to where Max was hovering, an expression of confusion now plastered on her face. They seemed to understand, and grew quiet, waiting patiently.

Slowly Max's confused look grew into one of fury, and then utter bewilderment. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide with terror. Unexpectedly, her wings folded like paper and she started falling, clutching her head, letting out deafening screams.

"Fang! It's a brain attack!" Angel cried frantically.

Needing no further explanation, I pulled my own wings in and dived toward where Max was plummeting downward.

_Crap oh crap please let me catch her..._ I thought desperately. From this altitude, she'd die from the impact of the ground alone.

Max's POV

Suddenly, something hard wrapped itself around my waist and pulled me sharply upward. Still holding my head in a desperate attempt to stop the rolling waves of pain, I buried my face into whatever was now supporting me. I recognized the scent. Cinnamon and campfire.

_Fang..._ I thought to myself. Just then, another burning knife carved into my head. I screamed loudly, and saw blackness beginning blur my vison. For once, I welcomed the cloak of darkness, knowing that it would take away the pain. Willingly, I closed my eyes, and then knew no more.

Fangs POV

Max lay huddled against my chest, whimpering softly, her face streaked with tears. She'd collapsed in my arms after I'd caught her, and the flock and I were once again flying, attempting to put as much distance between us and the erasers as possible.

Max. God, what had happened back there? Sure, she'd had brain attacks before, but never that bad...never bad enough to make her scream like that, or cry; that's for sure.

For now though, all we could do was continue to fly. We needed to get away from the erasers before they could catch up with us.

Max's POV

_Max. Max. Wake up._

I groaned softly, and something around my body shifted slightly.

_MAX__IMUM_

I winced and whimpered pathetically. My head was throbbing, and the screaming inside of it didn't help.

_I'm sorry about that Max, but I did warn you, didn't I? You should've listened to me. There's still time Max. You can still turn around you know- it is for the better if you do._

Half conscious or not, I knew the answer to that question.

_No Jeb. Shut up..._ I though groggily, attempting to keep my thoughts in order. I half expected another wave of pain to come, but to my surprise, it didn't.

After a minute, Jeb spoke again. _Fine Max- it's your choice. __Either way, we'll catch you eventually.__ Until then Max._

And with that, Jeb was gone.

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_Cliffy. I know, I'm evil. I'll try and update asap._

_Reviews please? They give me strength and make my day. nods_

_Until then, _

_Music._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer- I do not own the series Maximum Ride, nor any of its characters.__ They belong to the brilliant mind of James Patterson. I do, however, own the plot. __So no stealing._

_Thanks to the three people that review my last chapter. I honestly do appreciate them. This chapter's a bit shorter than the last since I had about 5 big tests this week, so I apologize for that. Otherwise, enjoy Chapter two!_

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Max's POV

"Fang? Is she all right?"

"What happened to her?"

"Max? Max?"

I heard whispers from above, and groaned softly. My head felt as though it'd been run over by a semi...

Weakly, I cracked open an eye and immediately regretted it. The glaring sunlight pierced my vision and made my head roll in waves of pain. Clenching my fists together, I slammed my eyes shut and gasped loudly.

"Max?"

I tried opening my eyes again, and this time, the pain wasn't as bad. I squinted up to see the flock standing above me, looks of panic and confusion plastered on their faces.

"Are you ok Max?" Angel asked me, her face deathly pale. Total lay in her arms, quivering slightly.

I couldn't speak yet, so I smiled at her as best I could and gave a quick nod.

Angel didn't look convinced, but she gave me a small smile back, and began stroking Total's fur.

I glanced around quickly, taking in my surroundings.

Trees………..and more trees.

All righty. The forest then.

"Max?" I heard another voice ask.

Glancing up, I found Fang's face directly above mine, the concern obvious in his expression.

I then realized that it wasn't the ground I was lying on, but Fang's lap.

Quickly, I attempted to sit up, leaning on my right arm. A bolt of pain shot through it, and gasping, I collapsed as my arm gave out. Fang caught me before I could hit the ground, and gently laid me down on his lap.

His eyes traveled upwards to my shoulder. Wordlessly, he yanked up the sleeve of my tee shirt, and I heard a sharp intake of breath from the flock.

I glanced at my shoulder and winced at the sight. It was a bloody, mangled mess. The eraser had managed to get in a pretty good shot with his gun, and I was starting to feel the burning pain.

Like I'd admit that though.

Using my good arm, I managed to pull myself into a somewhat upright position. Yanking down my sleeve, I glared at Fang.

He glared back, his black eyes shooting daggers into mine.

"You told us that the bullet clipped you." He said in a strangled sort of tone. "Did that look clipped to you?"

I remained silent, and turned my gaze away from him. Sighing in frustration, Fang turned toward the rest of the flock.

"Angel, Nudge, Gazzy, you guys go set up camp. We'll stay here for the night." Fang gave me a look that screamed, 'don't you dare protest.'

I didn't.

Fang looked away from me. "Iggy, you come here and check out Max's bullet wound."

Iggy knelt down next to Fang as the kids walked away. Pulling up my sleeve, Iggy felt the wound, his fingers skimming lightly across the surface of my skin.

"The bullets not in there anymore, so that's good……." Iggy muttered quietly. "It's pretty deep though. We need to stop this bleeding before she looses any more blood."

"Go get the first aid kit." Fang instructed Iggy. Iggy stood up and went over to the backpacks, beginning to rummage through them.

Fang sighed, and turned to look at me with a look of mingled frustration and concern.

"Max, what happened back there?" He asked quietly. "When you fell from the sky?"

I bit my lip and waited a moment before answering.

"Jeb's back." I mumbled, my voice cracking slightly.

Fang nodded. "I pretty much guessed that. I meant what was up with the brain attack…it never seemed that bad before…….never that….." Fang's voice drifted off, but I knew what he meant.

"Painful?" I asked in an almost bitter tone. Fang nodded, gazing intently at the ground.

I sighed, and wondered what to tell him. What could I say? That the brain attack was purposeful? That they could control them now? That Jeb had turned against us once again, despite everything we'd done? That once again, we'd be running for our lives; running for our freedom? What could I say?

Angel looked up quickly, her eyes growing wide. The stack of wood she held tumbled from her arms, but she didn't seem to notice.

Oh god. She'd been listening.

The rest of the flock noticed the loud noise Angel's dropped wood made, and quickly, they all spun toward her.

Angel stood frozen, her blue eyes brimming with tears. Suddenly, she rushed toward me and tackled me in a hug, burying her face into my chest and sobbing loudly.

I closed my eyes and pressed my face against her hair, patting her back softly and murmuring words of comfort.

"Shhhh….Angel, honey, hush. It's fine. Everything's going to be all right…"

Slowly, Angel's sobs quieted, but her arms remained firmly locked around me.

I took my face from her hair, and looked up to see the rest of the flock watching us with alarm. Fang stared at me, worry evident in his eyes.

"Care to explain?" He asked uncertainly.

I wrapped my arms tighter around Angel's body, and nodded. I had to tell them somehow…

"Jeb's back……but not to help us." I said to the flock, uncertain of how to word things. "He's not on our side….and I'm not sure he ever was. Somehow, he was able to control the brain attack I got back there. It was…..purposeful."

Angel let out another tiny sniffle, and I saw Fang's face harden.

"He wanted to stop us. That's why he gave me the brain attack….." I continued again, my voice growing a bit stronger. "He told me that we needed to turn back and go with the erasers…"

At this, the flock began shouting outraged remarks.

"What?"

"Go _with _them?"

"But why?"

Fang quickly shushed them, and gestured for me to continue.

I shot him a thankful look. "He said it didn't matter if we didn't turn back to go with them……..that they'd catch up to us eventually." I finished rather lamely.

"But why?" Nudge inquired again, obviously close to tears.

Gazzy's eyes were wide with fright, and let me tell you, my heart ached for those kids.

Shifting Angel to my other side, I opened up an arm for Gazzy and Nudge. Both of them knelt down and cuddled up next to me.

"I don't know why Nudge." I said weakly, answering her previous question. The flock was deathly silent for a moment, until Iggy broke it.

"This isn't fair!" he exclaimed, startling everyone. "It's not fair! We defeated Itex for the school, didn't we? We saved the stupid world, just like they wanted us too. So why won't they just leave us alone already?"

Iggy growled in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair.

Fang looked calm enough, but I could see the fury burning in his eyes.

I just shook my head slowly. "I don't know Iggy. Jeb never said."

Iggy closed his eyes and nodded curtly. Walking over to Fang, he handed him the first aid kit, and then walked away from the group.

I looked at Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel and smiled as best I could.

"You guys go play for a while, all right? Fang and I will set up camp. Just stay close, ok?"

"Ok." Nudge said quietly, getting up dejectedly.

Gazzy followed her, sniffling slightly.

Angel gave me one last hug.

"We'll be ok Max, won't we?" She asked desperately, her eyes wide with fright.

I looked at Angel; at her trusting, innocent expression.

In that moment, I felt a spark of hope.

Leaning down, I kissed Angel's forehead.

"Yes Angel. We'll be fine." I answered firmly. "They can't get us again. I won't let them."

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_Hurray! Chapter two is complete! -dances around-_

_PLEASE REVIEW!_

_Honestly, they make me incredibly happy and really help me out. I really appreciate them._

_Until next time,_

_-Music-from-the-heart-_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer- I do not own the series Maximum Ride, nor any of its characters. They belong to the brilliant mind of James Patterson. I do, however, own the plot. So no stealing._

_Ugh. I know. I haven't updated in forever. I'm horrible. I'm mentally slapping myself, don't worry. If you want to blame someone though, blame my teachers. And while you're at it, inform them that they don't need to pile on the homework right before spring break._

_And so, here's the somewhat late chapter three!_

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Max's POV

Shivering slightly, I inched closer to the campfire and wrapped my arms firmly around my knees.

Jeez. As hot at it could be during the day, it sure got cold at night.

The flock and I were all exhausted for obvious reasons, and so we'd decided to turn in early for the night. I'd used my brilliant persuasive skills to convince Fang to let me take first watch, though he wasn't too happy with the decision. Turning my head to the right, I silently observed the flock.

Iggy's head was resting on his sweatshirt, his back facing the fire. Gazzy was sprawled near him, his breathing slowed from sleep.

Nudge seemed to have fallen asleep right where she'd dropped, with one leg draped over Angel and the other bent at an awkward angle.

Angel was out cold, curled up into a small, blonde ball. Total rolled over next to her, muttering something about French poodles.

Fang was facing away from me too, one arm covering his face lightly. He was stiff and silent, and seemed to be fast asleep.

Only I knew him to well for that.

"Fang." I hissed quietly. Fang flinched slightly and then instantly relaxed again.

"Fang. Get up. I know you're awake." I commanded, still whispering so as not to wake the others.

Fang grunted softly but otherwise ignored me.

"Fang!"

The said Fang shifted his arm away from his face and rolled over to glare at me.

"What?" He asked indigently. "I was sleeping. Why'd you go and wake me?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Right. Sleeping." I said, rolling my eyes with mock disbelief.

Fang pushed himself into a sitting position and brushed off his jeans. "Yes. Sleeping." He said firmly.

"You're an awful liar." I said with a smirk. "I know you were awake."

"Oh yeah?" Fang asked, his eyes glinting playfully. "And how would you know?"

I grinned at him. "Easy. You snore." I said with a shrug of my shoulders.

Fang eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth to protest. "I-"

"Kidding, kidding!" I said, holding up my hands in defeat before he could pummel me. "Honestly, you were just to still. Usually you roll around in your sleep."

Fang's nodded slightly. Standing up, he walked over and plopped down next to me, stretching his wings out with a slight 'crack' as the bones popped into place.

"So, how's the arm?" He asked nonchalantly, leaning his head back against a tree trunk.

"It's fine." I said, looking down at my bandaged shoulder. Once Fang had cleaned and wrapped it up, it barely hurt anymore; just stung a bit. "I'll probably be better by tomorrow." I added with a smile.

"Probably." Fang agreed, stretching his legs out toward the fire.

"Anyway, shouldn't you be asleep? You do have the next watch, you know." I questioned Fang, attempting to change the subject.

Fang shrugged. "Not tired." He replied.

I glared at him. I'd bullied him into letting me take the first watch, but now he wasn't even getting rest during it.

Fang raised an eyebrow at my glare and I felt my face heat up. Turning away quickly, I stared at the fire, picking at a hole in my sweatshirt.

There was an awkward silence for a minute before Fang let out a long, slow breath.

"So….." He said, dragging out his words. "What exactly do we do now?"

I let out a sigh.

"Honestly, I have no idea. If the erasers can track us that well even after we've been on the move for a week, they'll obviously be able to track us pretty good no matter where we go." I replied, thinking out loud.

"Plus there's that whole new controlling my brain attacks drawback." I added bitterly.

Fang's jaw tensed but he nodded in agreement.

"So basically, I suppose all we can do is what we've been doing. Avoid, fight, and flee." I said somewhat uncertainly.

Fang was quiet for a moment, obviously deep in thought.

"What if….what if we get out of the country?" Fang suggested, drumming his fingers on his knee. "I don't know if it'll help at all, but it may. I mean, it'll probably be harder for them to track us in an unfamiliar place."

I starred at Fang in surprise.

"Actually, that may work." I said with a small smile. "But where would we go?" I asked, somewhat to myself and somewhat to Fang.

"We'll figure that out in the morning." Fang said firmly. "Besides, I'm sure if we're going to be doing some traveling, the others will want a say in it. After all, I think I know two little girls who'll be ecstatic about this decision."

Fang gestured a hand toward the sleeping Angel and Nudge and I groaned inwardly.

Jeez. Wouldn't that be fun.

Fang must've noticed my expression because he flashed me one of his rare, true smiles.

I returned it as best I could before going back into thought.

Fang gazed at me pointedly. "What else's bothering you?" He asked. "We have a semi-plan now."

I bit my lower lip and stretched my legs out, unwilling to reply.

"Jeb." I answered quietly.

I didn't give anymore explanation than that, but Fang didn't need one. He understood.

Almost hesitantly, Fang put a comforting arm around my shoulder.

"Don't worry Max." He said, squeezing my good shoulder. "We'll be fine."

I nodded in agreement. "I hope so. I just can't believe what Jeb did though…. He promised me that he'd leave us alone if we defeated Itex, and yet here he is chasing us again. What's his problem?"

"He's a good for nothing, backstabbing as-"

I slapped Fang before he could finish his sentence.

Fang shrugged. "What? He is." He said somewhat defensively.

"Yeah. I know." I said with a grin. "I trusted him though. And I don't trust many people."

"I think that we all trusted him Max." Fang said softly. "But sometimes people aren't what they seem to be. That's life, I guess."

"Yup." I agreed.

Fang and I sat like that for a while more before Fang glanced down at his watch.

"It's one." Fang said with a small smile. "My turn for watch."

"That's not fair though!" I protested. "You were awake during half of my watch!"

Fang shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm not the one who got shot today, am I?" Fang asked mockingly.

Knowing better not to argue, I gave him one last grimace before I got up and kicked off my sneakers, then went to lay by Nudge and Angel.

"Night Max." Fang whispered a minute later, staring at the fire.

"Night." I replied, my voice already slurred from exhaustion.

Closing my eyes, I drifted to sleep with the faint hope that tomorrow would be a better day.

But I should've known better. After all, when had my hopes ever come true?

_------------------------------------------------------------_

_Yes, that was blatant foreshadowing at the end on my part, thank you._

_Anyway, I'll try and update soon, like always, though don't get your hopes up. Spring break is rapidly approaching and I'm going on vacation to….wait for it….._

_NYC!!!!_

_Yes, I'm extremely excited. _

_And please guys, review my story! If I had one review for every favorite story or story alert this __FF receives,__ I'd be a much happier person._

_COUGHNEW MAXIMUM RIDE__ BOOK__ IN A WEEKCOUGH_

_Have a happy spring__ break_

_Love, -__Musicfromtheheart__-_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer- I do not own the series Maximum Ride, nor any of its characters. They belong to the brilliant mind of James Patterson. I do, however, own the plot. So no stealing._

_Yes, I am FINALLY UPDATING. I didn't forget the Fic- no worries. Things just came up and I've been super busy. I'm sorry! –Bows down to all mighty readers- _

_Forgive me! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!_

_--_

Max's POV

"Is she awake yet?"

"I dunno. She's not moving."

"Max? Are you up?"

"Poke her or something…"

I groaned lightly as I felt something probe my side relentlessly. Cracking open an eye, I squinted up into the eager faces of Nudge and Angel.

Blinking blearily, I glanced quickly at my Mickey Mouse wrist watch, wondering why it was still so dark outside.

Mickey grinned at me, his smile annoyingly cheerful. His hands showed me that it was currently about four am.

Well, I suppose that explained the lack of sunlight.

I pushed myself into a sitting position and looked confusedly at Angel and Nudge, who were grinning at me expectantly.

I blinked. "What's the matter?" I asked, wondering why they'd waken me up so early. Usually I was the first up, at around seven or so.

If possible, their grins grew even wider.

I started at them in confusion. What in the world…..?

Suddenly, Nudge cracked, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"Oh my god Max, why didn't you tell us we were going on vacation! I mean, it's so totally cool that we're doing this and I can get a tan and sunbathe and it'll be so much fun and oh gosh I just can't wait and….and……and………."

Nudge breathed heavily, attempting to catch her breath.

I turned to Angel, raising my eyebrows at her expectantly.

Angel grinned sheepishly. "I woke up and couldn't sleep. Fang was thinking about what country we should go to. I was excited, so I woke Nudge up and told her."

Nudge nodded enthusiastically in agreement, her matted ponytail bobbing up and down.

"Yeah! Why didn't you tell us sooner Max? I mean, there's still so much that we have to do before we leave- like pack and get some new clothes and I'll probably have to buy a new swimsuit since my old one is mis-"

I shushed her and glanced around the campsite. By now, both Iggy and Gazzy had woken up and were watching us in confusion. Fang looked mildly amused, and he slowly rotated the hotdog he was roasting on the campfire.

I sighed and put my head in my hands.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

"I didn't tell you Nudge, because Fang and I didn't figure it out until last night." I told her, my voice muffled slightly in my hands. "You were asleep, and I wasn't about to wake you. And secondly, it isn't a vacation."

Nudges face fell slightly and I turned to look at Iggy and Gasman who seemed more confused than ever.

"Fang came up with the idea that we should leave the country." I informed them. "Make it harder for the school to track us- unknown territory, you know?"

A look of understanding passed over their faces, and they both nodded slightly.

I turned back to Angel and Nudge. "Secondly, this isn't going to be a pleasure trip. We can't exactly waltz around in public. We're going to have to stay in hiding and move around a lot, like we do here. Just a change of scenery."

Nudge and Angel both looked as though Christmas and their birthdays had been canceled simultaneously.

My heart twisted, but I managed to keep a straight face. "Sorry guys. After yesterday though, we can't take any chances."

Angel's eyes lit with understanding and she nodded at me. Nudge was a bit more reluctant, but she too agreed it was for the best.

"So, where are we going? France? Maybe Germany again?" Total asked as he stretched his back, yawning widely.

"No. In case you forgot, that didn't work out to well last time." I reminded him.

Iggy snorted in amusement and Total turned to glare at him.

"What? You got any better ideas?" He growled at Iggy in annoyance.

Iggy shook his head. "Nah. I barely know any countries anyway."

Fang bit his lip thoughtfully."This can't just be a random 'let's pick a cool country' decision." He informed us as he took his hotdog out of the fire, blowing on it to cool it down. "We should pick one that doesn't have any, or many, Schools in it. It'll be even harder for them to find us then."

Gazzy nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Good idea. But how do we figure out what countries have Schools in them? I mean, it's not like they go around advertising it or anything."

Fang smirked at him, beginning to eat his hotdog. "Yeah, but we have a computer genius with us. I'm sure she can hack into something." He said, gesturing toward Nudge.

Nudge's eyes lit up, and she nodded happily, eager to help. "Yeah, I can try." She readily agreed.

Fang wiped his fingers on his jeans, stood and picked up his laptop. Walking over to Nudge, he plopped it down on her lap.

Nudge opened the screen and immediately began typing rapidly, her fingers a blur on the keyboard.

Quietly, so as not to disturb her, I reached into my bag and pulled out a box of fruit bars, tossing a couple of them to each of the flock. I few minutes later, Nudge let out an 'ah!' of satisfaction, and quickly turned the screen towards us.

"I got into their database and managed to pull up a list of facilities." She informed us as we all crowded around, attempting to see the screen. "It's alphabetized by country, so it shouldn't be too hard to find which has the least Schools."

I flashed her a grateful smile and offered her a fruit bar. "Thanks Nudge- you're the best."

She smiled back at me, took the food, and tore the wrapper off eagerly.

Fang had already taken the laptop back from her and was scrolling through the list with a look of concentration.

"Algeria….Bahrain……Finland…." He continued to name some countries and gestured for me to write them down. I quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and pen from my bag and started scribbling rapidly.

About one minute and fifteen countries later, Fang cracked his knuckles and set the laptop down. "All those countries have one or less schools." He informed us. "Also, this list has each Schools absolute locations, so we should be able to stay as far away as possible once inside the country."

I scanned through the list I had written, mentally calculating which countries were definitely not an option, and which ones might work.

"Looks like Zambia, The Netherlands, or Iceland would work pretty well." I murmured to Fang.

Fang looked thoughtful for a moment. "Not Zambia." He said finally. "I don't really want to travel to Africa at the moment."

I nodded in mutual agreement and quickly scratched it off the list. "So, Netherlands or Iceland?" I asked him.

"Iceland." He said firmly. "Netherlands is to close to more populated countries. Iceland is remote."

I nodded. Iceland it was. Shoving the list in my pocket, I gave the flock a smile.

"So, who's up for an airplane ride?"

_--_

_This chapter isn't very exciting, I know, but it had to be taken care of. Action and conflict will come soon- promise._

_In response to a reviewer, Max and Fang will have more Faxness moments soon. I just don't like rushing them into relationships- I like to let it develop in fics. I always find it so unrealistic when they suddenly just confess their unwavering love out of the blue and live happily ever after. I am an extreme Fax fan, so don't worry- the sappy fluff will come _

_As always, please review! -Hands cookies to all mighty reviewers-_

_Til then!_

_-Music_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer- I do not own the series Maximum Ride, nor any of its characters. They belong to the brilliant mind of James Patterson. I do, however, own the plot. So no stealing._

_Hurray! An update! I'm so busy with finals and everything, I'm proud of myself for getting this up. Sorry it's a bit late though, but I got it up asap. So enjoy chapter 5, everyone!_

_--_

Max's POV

"Nudge. Breath. Just calm down."

Nudge stared at me, her eyes wide and frantic.

"Calm down? Calm down?! I can't calm down! How can you stand this! It's so small and cramped and I can't breath and how in the world does it even stay up in the air to begin with?!"

Nudges knuckles slowly turned white as she gripped her barf-o-bag more tightly.

I patted her knee sympathetically. "I know Nudge, but we'll be off the plane soon enough."

Just then, said plane hit some turbulence. Nudge's face turned a rather interesting shade of green, and bending over her bag, she heaved up her lunch.

Lovely.

Angel, who sat on my other side, was watching Nudge with mild interest. She didn't seem to be bothered by the plane at all, a feat that I admired considerably.

Gazzy, Fang, and Iggy were currently sitting a couple rows ahead of us, and I watched as Gazzy turned to the stewardess walking by and requested another bag of peanuts. The woman frowned slightly, but grudgingly handed him a bag from her cart. I didn't blame her. That was his sixth.

Nudge, who looked slightly better after emptying her stomach, turned toward me and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"How much longer?" She questioned.

I glanced down at my watch.

"Erm…about ten hours, thirty-two minutes, and fifteen seconds……sixteen seconds……..seventeen………"

Nudge paled slightly.

"That long?" She moaned melodramatically and slumped down in her chair.

"You'll live." I promised with a grin, and then turned to look out my window. White, puffy, marshmallow-like clouds floated around us, and when I looked down, I could see miniature houses and buildings. Basically, it looked just like it would if we were flying ourselves.

Except in a hunk of metal, of course.

After we'd finished breakfast a couple hours ago, we'd flown to the nearest large city and found an airport. We were currently on a plane bound to the UK, and from there, we were planning to take another flight to Iceland, since the lady at the airport had informed us that, 'no flights were currently traveling to Iceland, either now nor anytime soon in the future.'

We'd even managed to sneak Total onto the plane, thanks to a bit of….persuasion….from Angel. He was currently asleep under her seat.

All in all, things were going pretty well. Given, we weren't even over the Atlantic yet, so we did have a long flight ahead of us. It helped knowing we could escape easily if the plane decided to die in midair, though since we all had mild claustrophobia, we weren't the happiest of campers.

That, along with Nudge's weak stomach, was enough to ruin my flight.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and was driven out of my thoughts. Looking up, I saw Angels face next to mine, a small grimace present on it.

I frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" I questioned.

Angel looked at me pointedly.

_Where's the bathroom?_ She asked me in my mind.

My eyes grew wide in understanding. Oh.

Angel looked worriedly at me.

_It does have one, doesn't it? _She asked, sounding extremely nervous.

I smiled and nodded, then stood up and cracked my neck. "Come on, I'll take you." I told her. Angel grinned at me, showing her pearl like baby teeth, and then moved aside so I could slide out of the row of seats.

"We'll be back." I informed Nudge, who currently had her eyes closed. She nodded weakly.

"Ok…" She said sleepily.

Taking Angel by the hand, I started down the rows of seats.

"Excuse me," I mumbled as I attempted to squeeze past a group of well dressed woman.

The womans' eyes widened as I passed, and their over-powdered, makeup-caked noses wrinkled in obvious disgust as they eyed mine and Angel's rugged appearances.

I felt my face heat, and I quickly rushed away, towing Angel behind me.

We reached the small bathroom, and Angel hurried inside and closed the door with a quiet, 'click'.

Leaning against the wall next to the bathroom, I looked down at my bare arm quickly. It was coated in a light layer of dirt. I could see my jeans were crusted with god-knows-what, and my sweatshirt was holey and so faded, I couldn't tell what color it originally had been.

Yeah. First thing I was going to do when we landed was take the flock shopping. We desperately needed new clothes.

I frowned slightly. Maybe spending a night at a hotel wouldn't be such an awful idea. We could take showers, and maybe eat a real meal, and sleep in real beds. The kids deserved it after all, after the fight the other day and being on the run the rest of the week. One night wouldn't kill us.

I heard the toilet flush, and Angel suddenly appeared from behind the door.

"Yeah. I think that it'd be fun to stay in a hotel." She informed me in a matter-of-fact tone.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, do you?" I asked with a mocking grin.

Angel bobbed her head up and down. "Yep."

I laughed and grabbed her hand again.

"We'll see. I'll talk to Fang and Iggy about it and see what they think."

That seemed to appease Angel, and she was silent on the walk back to our seats.

Judging from her quiet snores, Nudge was now asleep. I gestured toward Angel to be quiet as she squeezed past her and into her chair. Nudge should get some sleep now before we all got jet-lagged tomorrow.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." I whispered to Angel. "I'm going to go talk to Fang and Iggy, ok?"

Angel smiled happily and nodded.

"Don't leave your seat." I warned her. "I don't want you getting lost or something."

"Ok. Be sure to ask them about the hotel!" She whispered to me in an excited tone as I turned to leave again.

"I will." I assured her.

I walked down a few rows until I reached the boys, and then tapped Fang on the shoulder. He turned around sharply, but relaxed and gave me a wry grin once he saw who I was.

"Hey, I need to talk to you and Iggy about something." I informed Fang with a smile of my own.

Fang jerked his head towards Iggy's seat, and I noticed for the first time that he, like Nudge, was asleep.

"Gazzy too." He informed me, pointing towards the Gasman, whose face was plastered against the window as he slept.

I shrugged. "Ok. Just you then."

Fang nodded. "So, what's up?"

"I was wondering what you guys thought about staying in a hotel a night or two in the UK once we land. We could rest up before heading off to Iceland. Eat a decent meal, get some new clothes…"

Fangs brow furrowed in concentration as he drummed his fingers on his chair arm.

"Do you think it'd be safe?" He finally asked in a skeptic tone.

I shrugged. "They don't know we're leaving the country, and we wouldn't leave anyway they could trace us. Angel could get us in and just as easily make everyone forget about us."

Fang smirked in amusement.

"I thought you were all against her using her powers?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Sometimes it's necessary. We needed her powers to get the tickets, and to get Total on the plane. Now we need them so we don't get caught by the School."

Fang let out a long breath. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." He answered firmly. "We could always leave if things got bad. Just for a day or so."

I nodded. "Yeah. We all need this."

Just then I felt a small tug on my sleeve, and my heart nearly leaped up my throat. I whirled around, ready to snap someone's arm, only to be met by Angel's worried face.

Angel?

"Didn't I tell you to stay in your seat?" I asked her in as firm a tone I could manage in my surprise.

Angel just grasped my sleeve tighter, and pointed behind me, her eyes wide.

Turning around, I followed her finger, and saw a man reading a newspaper. Quickly, the man lowered the paper, and looked up, his blue eyes connecting with mine.

An electric shock rolled through my back, and I sucked in a breath of air.

"Shit."

Fang swore eloquently next to me, but I was too stunned to even smack him for it, because I knew that man who was staring at me. He was one of the few people I had ever trusted.

That man was Jeb.

_--_

BAH BAH BAAH! Cliffie!

Read and review please, and once again, thank you to all my reviewers! I love you all!

I'll try and update soon, as always. Once summer comes, I'll be able to do so more often.

Til then!

-Music from the heart-


End file.
